Suzannah Gerber

Introduction: Solid-state fermentation with culinary fungi (mushrooms commonly used in cooking) could be a scalable means of producing nutrient-dense protein foods, while improving digestibility and bioavailability and valorizing agricultural commodities and byproducts. Advancing the science of these processes has major implications for both nutrition security and resilient, sustainable food systems. This review synthesizes how substrate selection, fungal strain choice, and controllable growth conditions can transform underutilized or under-consumed plant materials into minimally processed, consumer-acceptable foods through enhanced sensory characteristics and nutritional profiles. Methods: We conducted a narrative review to synthesize peer-reviewed and applied literature to map substrate–strain–process combinations that could enhance nutritional composition, sensory performance, food safety, scalability, and sustainable food-system outcomes. Results: Across cereals, legumes, and oilseed meals, solid-state fermentation consistently increases protein concentration and quality, improves nutrient bioavailability, decreases anti-nutritional factors, and generates flavor-active metabolites while enhancing texture. Outcomes can be further optimized through manipulation of growth conditions such as moisture, temperature, particle size, aeration, light, residence time, and post-process thermal finishing. Discussion: Integrating culinary fungi with commodity crops enables circular use of side streams, shortens protein production cycles relative to animal sources, and can support rural economies while aligning with scientific dietary guidance. Factorial process studies linking growth stage inputs to sensory acceptance, standardized safety and regulatory frameworks and techno-economic analyses that quantify cost-per-nutrient and edible output per hectare would help extend this knowledge for maximal impact. Conclusion: Solid-state fermentation should be considered as an important strategy for improving diet quality and food security.

Introduction: Solid-state fermentation with culinary fungi (mushrooms commonly used in cooking) could be a scalable means of producing nutrient-dense protein foods, while improving digestibility and bioavailability and valorizing agricultural commodities and byproducts. Advancing the science of these processes has major implications for both nutrition security and resilient, sustainable food systems. This review synthesizes how substrate selection, fungal strain choice, and controllable growth conditions can transform underutilized or under-consumed plant materials into minimally processed, consumer-acceptable foods through enhanced sensory characteristics and nutritional profiles. Methods: We conducted a narrative review to synthesize peer-reviewed and applied literature to map substrate–strain–process combinations that could enhance nutritional composition, sensory performance, food safety, scalability, and sustainable food-system outcomes. Results: Across cereals, legumes, and oilseed meals, solid-state fermentation consistently increases protein concentration and quality, improves nutrient bioavailability, decreases anti-nutritional factors, and generates flavor-active metabolites while enhancing texture. Outcomes can be further optimized through manipulation of growth conditions such as moisture, temperature, particle size, aeration, light, residence time, and post-process thermal finishing. Discussion: Integrating culinary fungi with commodity crops enables circular use of side streams, shortens protein production cycles relative to animal sources, and can support rural economies while aligning with scientific dietary guidance. Factorial process studies linking growth stage inputs to sensory acceptance, standardized safety and regulatory frameworks and techno-economic analyses that quantify cost-per-nutrient and edible output per hectare would help extend this knowledge for maximal impact. Conclusions: Solid-state fermentation should be considered as an important strategy for improving diet quality and food security.

Cultivated meat (CM), derived from animal cells without traditional animal agriculture, offers potential to address vulnerabilities and reduce negative impacts of meat production. However, CM faces consumer skepticism, regulatory hurdles, and bans in some U.S. and European states. Key gaps in understanding include acceptance, sensory evaluation, and political alignment with existing research relying primarily on hypothetical, experiment-based evaluations. This study is the first to observe consumer acceptance in a public tasting of CM. We conducted an ethnographic analysis combining semi-structured interviews, field observations, and secondary data from media and social media including additional interviews. Using Grounded Theory, we identified themes-American identity, verisimilitude, and the role of government-that inform pathways for CM acceptance. Results reveal the importance of aligning CM with ethical priorities while meeting sensory and transparency expectations to build consumer trust. Widespread adoption may require further innovation, evidence-based communication, and consumer inclusion for CM to be seen as a valuable alternative to conventional meat.

Peanut hulls (PHs) are an edible food waste that is an underutilized food source for human consumption. While edible and palatable, currently they are mainly diverted to livestock feed or building materials. Here, we describe existing literature supporting human food valorization of PHs, and propose methods to optimize recapturing nutrients (protein, fiber, phenols and other phytonutrients) lost by treating PHs as waste. Incorporated into common foods, PHs could be processed into functional ingredients to improve nutrient-density with anticipated corresponding positive health outcomes associated with increases in plant foods. Valorization of PHs addresses multiple priorities of the UN Sustainable Development Goals using a Food Systems Approach (FSA) including reducing food waste, increasing economic opportunities for farmers, and increasing the availability of healthy shelf-stable foodstuffs to address food security. Recent advances in sustainable food processing technologies can be utilized to safely incorporate PHs into human food streams. We propose future applications that could make meaningful impacts for food availability and the nutritional composition of common foods like bread and plant-based meat alternatives. While the limited literature on this topic spans several decades, no commercial operations currently exist to process PHs for human consumption, and most literature on the topic precedes the technological “green revolution.” The approaches outlined in this review may help bolster commercialization of this underutilized and nutritious food potentially improving opportunities for multiple global stakeholders.

Peanut hulls (PH) are an edible food waste that is an underutilized food source for human consumption. While edible and palatable, they are mainly diverted to livestock feed or building materials. Here, we describe existing literature on human food valorization of PHs and propose methods to optimize recapturing nutrients (e.g. protein, fiber, polyphenols) lost by treating PHs as waste. Incorporated into common foods, PHs can be processed into functional ingredients to improve nutrient-density and the corresponding positive health outcomes associated with increases in plant foods. PH valorization can also address additional priorities of the UN Sustainable Development Goals using a Food Systems Approach (FSA) including food waste, increasing economic opportunities for farmers, and increasing the availability of healthy shelf-stable foodstuffs to address food security. Recent advances in sustainable food processing technologies can be utilized to safely incorporate peanut hulls into human food streams. We propose future applications that could make meaningful impacts to food availability and the nutritional composition of common foods. While the limited literature on this topic spans several decades, no global operations exist to incorporate peanut hulls and most publications precede the technological ‘green revolution’. The approaches outlined in this review may help bolster commercialization of this underutilized and nutritious food potentially improving opportunities for multiple global stakeholders.

Lifestyle programs that reduce health risks and support weight loss (WL) in older adults face adherence and attendance challenges due to reduced energy requirements, impaired mobility, lack of transportation, and low social support. Tailored lifestyle and weight management programs are needed to better support healthy aging for older adults. Here, we developed and piloted an age-adapted, remotely delivered modification of the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). The modification includes age-appropriate goals, visuals, and examples; flexible dietary composition; remote classroom and fitness-monitoring technology; and standardized online classroom materials employing pedagogical and behavior change theory. The modifications were designed to safeguard fidelity and to boost adherence, engagement, and knowledge integration, with the convenience of a fully remote WL program for diverse older adults. Six-month pilot data are presented from older adults (55–85 years, body mass index (BMI) 27–39.9 kg/m², N = 20) randomly allocated to an online DPP intervention with weight, diet, and activity monitored remotely, or into a waitlisted control. The intervention achieved 100% attendance and adherence to self-monitoring. The intervention group mean (±SD) body weight change was −9.5% (±4.1); 90% lost ≥ 5%. By contrast, the control group gained 2.4% (±1.8). Once thought incompatible with older adults, remote interventions are feasible for older adults and can support fidelity, adherence, engagement, and clinically significant WL. Standardized materials are provided for future implementation.

Older adults with obesity have an increased risk for cognitive decline and subsequent Alzheimer’s disease. Previous research has focused on the impact of individual nutrients and overall dietary patterns to improve cognitive function. The Brain and Body Health (BB-Health) study aims to demonstrate the feasibility of a multicomponent nutritional supplement (MCNS) and weight loss (WL) intervention for individuals with overweight and obesity who are not consuming a healthy diet. BB-Health is a parallel-group randomized placebo-controlled 2x2 factorial pilot trial comparing the MCNS, WL, and MCNS+WL with a Control group. Eligible participants are 55 to 85 years of age with a body mass index 27.0 to 39.9 kg/m2. Major exclusion criteria include type 2 diabetes, moderate or severe cognitive impairment, and self-reported healthy dietary pattern. The BB-Health feasibility trial is registered as NCT05542199 at clinicaltrials.gov. The BB-Health objectives are to report: 1) recruitment and enrollment, including pace and descriptive statistics of the study sample; 2) adherence to the administered interventions; 3) successful data collection and performance of outcome assessments, including evaluation of change in key outcomes over time that are powered for this pilot study; and 4) summary statistics on outcomes for use in planning a subsequent, larger trial. The outcomes of interest are age-sensitive cognitive assessments, cerebral hemodynamics, and related health parameters. All measurements are collected at baseline, 3-, 6-, and 12-month visits. If the BB-Health protocol demonstrates feasibility, the novel MCNS with and without a parallel WL intervention has potential to be administered in a confirmatory randomized trial to evaluate ability to prevent age-related cognitive decline and improve brain health. The BB-Health Feasibility Study could significantly contribute to our understanding of the influence of diet and weight management on cognitive health

The market share of e‐commerce grocery is swiftly rising, but online product listings may present different environmental sustainability and public health information. We analyzed product marketing content available on retailer websites and product images, comparing plant‐based (PBFs) and animal‐sourced foods (ASFs). Over sixteen thousand marketing and labeling content observations were gathered from seven leading U.S. e‐commerce grocery retailers for top‐selling ASFs and closely‐matched PBFs (N = 134; n = 68 PBFs, n = 66 ASFs), including sustainability, mandatory information, health, sourcing, and hedonic/emotional claims. PBFs averaged 47 total claims, ASFs 28. On‐web claims were substantially higher than on‐pack (PBFs 34 on‐web, 12 on‐pack; ASFs 19 and nine, respectively). On‐web information for the same products varied considerably across retailers, especially for sustainability and mandatory information. PBFs presented mostly sustainability claims on‐pack and health claims on‐web. ASFs led emotional claims and made almost no sustainability claims across settings. Across settings, mandatory information compliance was greater among PBFs whereas ASFs notably lacked disclosures for foods with major allergens. Online grocery lacks standardization—businesses should regard differences as opportunities for marketing sustainable foods.